Recipe: Seattle-Style Chicken Teriyaki (Patreon)

Please note: There are three recipes for making Seattle-style chicken teriyaki—this recipe is for grilling the chicken specifically. For the recipe to making Seattle-style teriyaki sauce, which acts as both a glaze and marinade in this dish, see here. For a guide on making a teriyaki shop side salad (and its iconic sweet mayo dressing), see here.

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

What I love about this recipe:

Marinating the chicken in sauce helps keep it moist and juicy as it chars.

Applying the sauce in layers towards the end of grilling lets you build up flavor without burning it.

Yield: Serves 4Active Time: 30 minutesTotal Time: 30 minutes, plus time to marinate

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Seattle-Style Teriyaki Sauce—see the recipe here.

Steamed Japanese short-grain rice

Optional: Teriyaki Shop Salad with Sweet Mayo Dressing—see the recipe here.

Method

In a large bowl, combine chicken with 1/2 cup marinade and turn with your hands until the chicken is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

If using a charcoal grill, light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, if using a gas grill, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.

Place the chicken over the hot side of the grill and cook, turning and flipping occasionally, until the chicken is well-charred and is approaching 160°F (70°C) in the thickest part as registered on an instant-read thermometer.

Flip the chicken with the prettiest sides facing up, brush with sauce, close the lid, and cook for 30 seconds. Repeat the saucing process two to three more times until the chicken has a nice, deep glaze and registers at least 175°F (80°C). Transfer to a cutting board and let the chicken rest for a few minutes.

Slice chicken against the grain and serve on top of steamed rice. Spoon additional sauce over the chicken before serving. For a true Seattle experience, serve alongside a teriyaki shop salad with sweet mayo dressing.